The present invention relates to therapeutic shoes and, in particular, it concerns shoes suited for mass production, which allow selective and personalized weight shifting to effect pressure relief to specific regions of the foot and allow selective adjustment of the height of the shoe.
Various patients require relief of pressure from parts of their feet, either as part of the treatment for an existing medical condition or prophylactically. This is particularly true for patients prone to peripheral circulatory problems such as diabetics. Pressure control is also often required or desirable during postoperative recovery or due to other sources of foot trauma.
Relief of pressure from one part of the foot can be achieved by modifying a shoe so that weight is transferred to other parts of the foot. Since the region in which pressure relief is required varies from patient to patient, this approach requires manual modification of shoes on an individual basis. Such an approach is labor intensive and costly. The shoe, once modified, is useless when the pressure relief therapy is no longer required.
A related problem, particularly in patients prone to peripheral circulatory problems, results from extended periods of localized pressure on the heel of a bedridden patient.
A different problem results from what is known in the field of orthopedics as LLD (Leg Length Discrepancy). As a result of medical intervention such as hip surgery, one leg of the patient may become shorter than the other leg. The resulting discomfort when walking forces the patient to be bedridden until custom orthopedic shoes can be made, a process which can take more than a month.
There is therefore a need for a therapeutic shoe suitable for mass production which allows readily adjustable weight shifting, which offers protection to the heel from pressure while sleeping, and which allows the shoe to be used as a conventional shoe at other times. There is also a need for a therapeutic shoe which can quickly and easily be adjustable to effectively raise the sole of a shoe to allow comfortable walking in the case of LLD.
The present invention is a therapeutic shoe.
According to the teachings of the present invention there is provided, a therapeutic shoe configured to raise the sole of the shoe at certain points along the shoe which also facilitates shifting the weight exerted on the foot of a wearer as required, the shoe comprising: (a) a sole providing an upper surface for supporting the foot of the wearer and a lower surface, the sole having a longest dimension; (b) an upper portion associated with the sole and configured to retain the foot of the wearer in contact with the sole; (c) a recessed track formed in the lower surface of the sole and extending substantially parallel to the longest dimension along a major portion of the longest dimension; and (d) a support block having an engagement projection configured for engaging the recessed track and a load-supporting body configured to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longest dimension, the support block being configured so as to be attachable to the lower surface at any one of a plurality of positions along substantially the entirety of the recessed track.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the recessed track includes at least one undercut ridge, the recessed track being open at at least one end, and wherein the engagement projection is configured to engage the undercut ridge.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the recessed track is a substantially T-shaped track open at at least one end, and wherein the engagement projection is formed with a complementary T-shaped cross-section.
According to a further feature of the present invention, wherein the load-supporting body is formed with a rounded lower profile as viewed along its direction of extension.
According to a further feature of the present invention, there are also provided at least two threaded fastening elements for attaching the support block to the lower surface.
According to a further feature of the present invention, there is also provided an engagement projection made up of a multiplicity of parts including an engagement ridge and an attachment plate connected to the engagement ridge with a tightening means such as screws for attaching the support blocks to the lower surface of the shoe.
According to a further feature of the present invention, there is also provided an additional support block having an engagement projection configured for engaging the recessed track and a load-supporting body configured to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length, both the support block and the additional support block being attachable at different positions along the recessed track.
According to a further feature, the present invention is additionally configured to avoid pressure on the heel of the foot of a supine wearer from an underlying surface, the upper portion being configured to retain the foot in a position such that the heel of the foot lies adjacent to the rear edge of the sole, the upper portion having at least one opening adjacent to the rear edge so as to avoid contact with at least a part of the heel of the foot, the shoe further comprising a pressure release bracket configured to releasably engage the sole so that the sole is supported by the pressure release bracket with the rear edge raised above the underlying surface.
There is also provided according to the teachings of the present invention, a therapeutic shoe configured to avoid pressure on the heel of a foot of a supine wearer, the shoe comprising: (a) a sole providing an upper surface for supporting the foot of the wearer, the sole having a rear edge; (b) an upper portion associated with the sole and configured to retain the foot of the wearer in contact with the sole in a position such that the heel of the foot lies adjacent to the rear edge, the upper portion having at least one opening adjacent to the rear edge so as to avoid contact with at least a part of the heel of the foot; and c) a pressure release bracket configured to releasably engage the sole so that the sole is supported by the pressure release bracket with the rear edge raised above the underlying surface, and to give some measure of protection to the heel from injurious or painful contact.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the sole features a slot adjacent to the rear edge, and wherein the pressure release bracket is implemented as a substantially flat sheet configured to engage the slot.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the sole features a slot adjacent to the rear edge, and wherein the pressure release bracket is configured to engage the slot, configured to redistribute the weight of the foot to the ankle and leg, and configured to substantially protect the heel from injurious or painful incidental contact.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the shoe is additionally configured to facilitate shifting the weight exerted on the foot of a wearer as required, wherein the sole has a longest dimension, the shoe further comprising: (a) a recessed track formed in the lower surface of the sole and extending substantially parallel to the longest dimension along a major portion of the longest dimension; and (b) a support block having an engagement projection configured for engaging the recessed track and a load-supporting body configured to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longest dimension, the support block being configured so as to be attachable to said lower surface at any one of a plurality of positions along substantially the entirety of the recessed track.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the at least one opening is further open to portions of adjacent side edges on either side of the rear edge so as to avoid contact with at least part of the back and sides of the heel of the foot.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the pressure release bracket is further configured to support the sole with at lease a part of one of the adjacent side edges raised above the underlying surface when the foot and leg are rotated to bring the adjacent side edge into contact with the underlying surface.